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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Entertainment
Tina Campbell

James Corden admits turning to weight loss drug Ozempic in a bid to slim down

James Corden has admitted turning to Ozempic in a bid to lose weight but found it wasn’t for him.

The former US late night chat show host, 46, has been open about his weight loss struggles, including being bullied while at school.

Three years ago, Corden signed a multi-million pound deal to be the face of Weight Watchers, crediting them for helping him lose two stone.

After ending his partnership with the organisation last year, he told how he sought other methods to slim down.

Ozempic, originally developed for diabetes treatment, works by mimicking a hormone that regulates appetite. It tricks the brain into thinking the body is full, leading to reduced food intake and weight loss.

James Corden has previously admitted to being bullied at school because of his weight (PA Archive)

According to Corden, excessive appetite wasn’t the root of his weight issues.

Addressing the issue on his Sirius XM radio show, he explained: “I tried Ozempic, and it won’t be surprising to you when you look at me now, that it didn’t really work.

“I tried it for a bit and then what I realised was I was like ‘Oh no, nothing about my eating has anything to do with being hungry’.

“All it does is make you feel not hungry . But I am very rarely eating [just because I’m hungry]’”.

Corden - who has recently been filming the highly anticipated Gavin and Stacey Christmas special on location in Barry Island - further explained that he related to TV presenter and author Richard Osman who has spoken candidly about having a food addiction.

James Corden said he could Richard Osman’s food addiction struggles (PA Archive)

Osman previously described challenges with food as being the “drum beat” of his life.

“You are looking at someone who’s eaten a king size, and when I say king size Dairy Milk – one you give someone for Christmas – in a carwash,” lamented Corden.

“None of that was like, oh, I’m so hungry. It is not that, it’s something else.”

A number of celebrities have admitted taking Ozempic, including Oprah Winfrey, Elon Musk and Rebel Wilson, Kelly Osbourne and Stephen Fry.

Fry says he was an early adopter and warned others about following in his footsteps, saying he was “throwing up five times a day” when he tried it.

Stephen Fry has warned against the use of Ozempic after finding himself very sick when taking it (PA Media)

“The first week or so, I was thinking, ‘This is astonishing. Not only do I not want to eat, I don’t want any alcohol of any kind. This is going to be brilliant,’” he told the River Café Table 4 podcast.

However, he eventually stopped seeing it as a miracle drug when he found he was getting “sicker and sicker” and stopped taking it.

Osbourne, meanwhile, incited outrage after she said any critics of the drug simply “couldn’t afford it”.

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